Community Building Activity Ideas

This week we will be beginning our Phase II of programming for the ExpandED Schools program at The Island School. On Monday, students will begin their new courses (Graphic Novels, Robotics, Dance, Art, Athletics and STEM...just to name a few), where they will learn domain specific skills and vocabulary in order to conquer real world, authentic challenges.

As we begin, it is as important as ever to remember that classroom community does not just happen. Instead, it takes a conscious effort to create!

Here are a few tried and true activities to help bring this community to life:

1) The Name Game
As a high school teacher, it drove me crazy when in March a student would say, "I forget her name, but she had a good idea." How can we have safe learning environments, if we do not even know the names of all our peers?! The name game is a simple way to alleviate this issue. Have students stand or sit in a circle. Start and end with yourself (you will have both the easiest and hardest job, modeling that you are in it with them, growth mindset, etc.). Pick an adjective that begins with the same letter as the first letter of your name. Then put the adjective and your first name together, for example: Bashful Brittany. Now, move to the next student. Before he or she begins, the student must say all the adjective/name combos from before and then add his/her combo, for example: Bashful Brittany, Jolly Javier. After all students have gone, go through all the combos, starting with yours and ending with yours.

Students will often add silly reminders to help their peers, demonstrating one of the core elements of community. After the activity is done, feel free to complement all the things your students have already done to help each other out ("I really loved how many of you.... in order to help your peers succeed!"). Be sure to tie this back to community ("This shows that we are already committed to this class because...").


2) Symbols of Me
When I taught English, I used this activity as a way to introduce both creativity and abstract thinking. Have students pair up based on something such as month of birth, first letter of name, favorite color, etc. This will naturally mix them up, encouraging them to work with a new person in a non-awkward way. Then, have pairs trace the dominant hand of their partners on pieces of computer paper.

After all hands have been traced, begin by introducing what a symbol is ("A symbol is an object that means more than it's face value. For example, if I use a bird as a symbol, I am not saying that I am a bird. I may not even be saying that I like birds. Instead, I may be thinking of the qualities of a bird. This allows me to explain that I like to go to different places and that I enjoy freedom without using words). Now, instruct students to draw symbols of things that represent them. Challenge them to think about the colors they use, the objects they include, and even how they hold their paper! For younger students, you may need to provide a few more examples and provide some individual scaffolding.

When all the students are done, have each student present his or her hand. You can either have students explain their symbols or have the class guess what the symbols represent. Many teachers then cut out these hands and place them around their classrooms or paste them on their class rules.

At the end, be sure to tie this all up by explaining to your students that in a community we all bring unique talents, interests and personalities to the table.


3) My Name
This is an introduction with a literary twist. As a class, read aloud Sandra Cisneros' vignette, "My Name". Then tell each student to select his or her favorite line. Going in a circle, have each student read just his/her favorite line in a consecutive fashion. (If you have time, this is a great opportunity to talk about how many students picked the same or different lines). Then, have students make a list of the types of things that the character used to describe herself. Instruct students to make their own My Name vignettes using this list and more. (For younger students, a guided practice sheet--aka the frame of the poem with blanks--may be helpful).

Have each student read his or her poem to the class. Be sure to link this exercise back to a strong community ("While our poems are so different, they also have many things in common. In a community, we each bring different attributes to the table, but we also have so many things that unite us").


4) Where I'm From Poem
Following the same format at the My Name Activity, have students read, analyze and create their own poems based on Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon. This poem is a little more complex, so it may be better for older students. However, if you walk through the poem with younger students, you can definitely still use it!


5) All Over the Map
If you are working with a diverse population of students, this is a really exciting opportunity for them to share pieces of their personal and family stories. It also helps many students feel as if they are not alone. This activity also often leads to more stories, naturally allowing students to gain more information about their peers.

For me, I think this is a special activity because it truly embodies the idea that we are all on different paths, but at this specific moment in time, all our paths have crossed. Without getting esoteric, I think this is one of the most profound concepts that students can encounter, but I digress...

Start with a world map. Make a mark where you--or your family--are from. Have each student indicate where their family is from. If you have many immigrant students, feel free to let them explain when they came to America. Depending on your students, this can be as recent or as distant as you want it to be. It can also be as local or global as your classroom population needs. Make a mark on the map to indicate each child's response(s). After asking all students, have them look at the map and make observations.

Then, ask your students how this relates to our classroom community. If they are struggling, be sure to wrap the lesson up ("As you can see, we all have different paths that we have taken to get to this class in this moment. This is amazing, because it helps us remember that we are all different, but in this room we also have one thing in common: we are now from here too").

If you have access to technology and a projector/SMART Board, Piktochart has a GREAT--free--map feature that will allow you to highlight over specific countries and see the names of the students who are from that country).

What are your go to ice breakers/team builders? Comment below to add to our go to list!!

The Quickest Way to Learn Problem Solving: The Hour of Code

A buzz filled the air as I looked around my computer lab. Some students were so enamored with their work that they could not take their eyes off their screens. Some were excitedly pointing to other students' windows, sending helpful hints, explanations and sometimes just telling the answers. Despite the occasional cries of frustration, my students were hooked.

The Hour of Code was working its magic. 

Last month, all 269 of my Computer Applications students participated in The Hour of Code. While I was excited that my students were learning this key 21st Century skill, I was more enthralled by the metacognitive opportunity that these brilliantly crafted tutorials offered.

If you haven't hear of it, The Hour of Code is learning disguised as a bunch of games. Crafted by some of the top computer science minds and funded by a plethora of foundations and big names, the program is designed to help students independently acquire an understanding of the syntax and fundamentals of coding. After completing a series of tasks, students are presented with a certificate of completion.

Although it is not marketed as such, The Hour of Code is also a metacognitive gold mine! After my students completed the program, they were asked to reflect on the following two questions:

I ask questions like these after each and every unit. Most times, I get surface answers that lack serious reflection or insight. However, to my pleasant surprise, The Hour of Code lead to very different discussions.

After meeting with all 12 of my classes, the same strategies and themes emerged. They were compiled into the following chart.

(Brittany Spatz, 2014)

These strategies are sophisticated problem solving and critical thinking tasks, requiring that students work at the highest levels. These tutorials pushed my students to use the skills we use when we face real-world problems. Finally, The Hour of Code encouraged ownership of independent learning, while still allowing for collaboration.

Simply put, my students learned everything they need for life in just one hour. 

As I compiled the student reflections into our anchor chart, I found myself coming back to two main questions:

Question 1:
Why was it so much easier for students to identify patterns of thought when talking about coding?

I have many theories about this one, and I invite your input as well, but I have come to the conclusion that students find it easier to think about their own thinking when they don't think that they're learning... did you follow that?

In my masters classes, we have explored using video games in the classroom to facilitate conversations about thought, problem solving and critical thinking. As someone who was forbidden from having video games as a child, this option has never really appealed to me. However, there is no doubt that The Hour of Code, like video games, offers students similar situations.

Students are using complex skills without realizing that they are. This makes it less threatening and less confusing to explore their own movements.

Question 2:
How can we capitalize on this?

In our classroom, this chart has become a touchstone, an anchor lesson. We refer back to it often. We use it to provide us with the vocabulary and skills for learning anything new.

Moving forward, I can't help but encourage ALL teachers to try the Hour of Code. Teachers do not need ANY coding skills. They just have to be able to have their students get to code.org, and let it work its magic.

Then, teachers can step in and talk about what they know best: how we learn, how we solve problems, how we overcome obstacles, how we persevere.

Next year, I plan on starting the year with the Hour of Code, using it as the cornerstone of our class.

How will you incorporate this amazing resource?